2 Samuel 11 · Verse 14

2 Samuel 11:14

And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
2 Samuel 11:14, King James Version

2 Samuel 11:14 in other translations

BSBThe next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
WEBIn the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
ASVAnd it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
YLTAnd it cometh to pass in the morning, that David writeth a letter unto Joab, and sendeth by the hand of Uriah;
DARBYAnd it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by Urijah.
BBENow in the morning, David gave Uriah a letter to take to Joab.
WebsterAnd it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

What does 2 Samuel 11:14 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 11:14-15
14-15. David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah ... Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle--The various arts and stratagems by which the king tried to cajole Uriah, till at last he resorted to the horrid crime of murder--the cold-blooded cruelty of despatching the letter by the hands of the gallant but much-wronged soldier himself, the enlistment of Joab to be a partaker of his sin, the heartless affectation of mourning, and the indecent haste of his marriage with Bath-sheba--have left an indelible stain upon the character of David, and exhibit a painfully humiliating proof of the awful lengths to which the best of men may go when they forfeit the restraining grace of God.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 14 David wrote a letter - This was the sum of treachery and villany. He made this most noble man the carrier of letters which prescribed the mode in which he was to be murdered. This case some have likened to that of Bellerophon, son of Glaucus, king of Ephyra, who being in the court of Proetus, king of the Argives, his queen Antia, or as others Sthenoboea, fell violently in love with him; but he, refusing to gratify her criminal passions, was in revenge accused by her to Proetus her husband, as having attempted to corrupt her. Proetus not willing to violate the laws of hospitality by slaying him in his own house, wrote letters to Jobates, king of Lycia, the father of Sthenoboea, and sent them by the hand of Bellerophon, stating his crime, and desiring Jobates to put him to death. To meet the wishes of his son-in-law, and keep his own hands innocent of blood, he sent him with a small force against a very warlike people called the Solymi; but, contrary to all expectation, he not only escaped with his life, but gained a complete victory over them. He was afterwards sent upon several equally dangerous and hopeless expeditions, but still came off with success; and to reward him Jobates gave him one of his daughters to wife, and a part of his kingdom. Sthenoboea, hearing this, through rage and despair killed herself. I have given this history at large, because many have thought it not only to be parallel to that of Uriah, but to be a fabulous formation from the Scripture fact: for my own part, I scarcely see in them any correspondence, but in the simple circumstance that both carried those letters which contained their own condemnation. From the fable of Bellerophon came the proverb, Bellerophontis literas portare, "to carry one's own condemnation".

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 11:14-27
Adulteries often occasion murders, and one wickedness is sought to be covered by another. The beginnings of sin are much to be dreaded; for who knows where they will end? Can a real believer ever tread this path? Can such a person be indeed a child of God? Though grace be not lost in such an awful case, the assurance and consolation of it must be suspended. All David's life, spirituality, and comfort in religion, we may be sure were lost. No man in such a case can have evidence to be satisfied that he is a believer. The higher a man's confidence is, who has sunk in wickedness, the greater his presumption and hypocrisy. Let not any one who resembles David in nothing but his transgressions, bolster up his confidence with this example. Let him follow David in his humiliation, repentance, and his other eminent graces, before he thinks himself only a backslider, and not a hypocrite. Let no opposer of the truth say, These are the fruits of faith! No; they are the effects of corrupt nature. Let us all watch against the beginnings of self-indulgence, and keep at the utmost distance from all evil. But with the Lord there is mercy and plenteous redemption. He will cast out no humble, penitent believer; nor will he suffer Satan to pluck his sheep out of his hand. Yet the Lord will recover his people, in such a way as will mark his abhorrence of their crimes, to hinder all who regard his word from abusing the encouragements of his mercy.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

2 Samuel 11:14 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיְהִ֣יvay.Hiand it wasH1961
בַבֹּ֔קֶרva.Bo.kerin the morningH1242
וַיִּכְתֹּ֥בvai.yikh.Toand he wroteH3789
דָּוִ֛דda.VidDavidH1732
סֵ֖פֶרSe.fera letterH5612
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יוֹאָ֑בyo.'AvJoabH3097
וַיִּשְׁלַ֖חvai.yish.Lachand he sent [it]H7971
בְּיַ֥דbe.Yadby [the] hand ofH3027
אוּרִיָּֽה\׃'u.ri.YahUriahH223

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Samuel 11:14

  • 1 Kings 21:8-10

    So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.

  • Jeremiah 17:9

    The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

  • Micah 7:3-5

    That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up. The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

  • Psalms 52:2

    Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

  • Psalms 19:13

    Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

  • Jeremiah 9:1-4

    Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord. Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.

  • Psalms 62:9

    Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
wrote a letter.It was resolved in David's breast that Uriah must die--that innocent, valiant, and gallant man, who was ready to sacrifice his life for the honour of his prince; and, worse than all, by being himself made the bearer of letters to Joab which prescribed the mode by which he was to be murdered. This was the greatest treachery and villany on the part of David; while Joab appears to enter as fully upon the execution of the murder, being perhaps pleased to have this opportunity of further enthralling his king, and thus increasing his own power.
1Ki 21:8-10; Ps 19:13; 52:2; 62:9; Jer 9:1-4; 17:9; Mic 7:3-5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Samuel 11:13

    And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

  • 2 Samuel 11:14

    And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

  • 2 Samuel 11:15

    And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

Read all of 2 Samuel 11

2 Samuel 11:14 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Venida la mañana, escribió David á Joab una carta, la cual envió por mano de Uría.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il arriva, le matin, que David écrivit une lettre à Joab, et l’envoya par la main d’Urie.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und es geschah am Morgen, da schrieb David einen Brief an Joab und sandte ihn durch Urija.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Factum est ergo mane, et scripsit David epistolam ad Joab: misitque per manum Uriæ,